


The End Of All Things

by I_Ship_Morethan_The_Average_B3ar



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombies, And angsty, Crying, F/F, F/M, M/M, Read at Your Own Risk, Simon and Jace kiss at one point btw, Slow Burn Malec, a shit ton of death, and a train wreck, and sad, clizzy was a thing once as well, enjoy if you can, im a shitty writer tbh, in a tent, its chill, its gonna be a sad one, no one survives, there will be malec zombie au smut going down very later, yeh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 00:29:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7663111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Ship_Morethan_The_Average_B3ar/pseuds/I_Ship_Morethan_The_Average_B3ar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thirty days. That's all it took. Thirty days for the entire human race to be overcome by some shit a government made to battle another government because they threatened another government. The bullshit of the world's politics was ultimately it's downfall. </p><p>Thirty hours. That's all it took for the majority of America to become infected.</p><p>Thirty minutes. That's all the time it took for a loved one to turn into a monster.</p><p>Thirty seconds. That's all it took to release the end of the world.</p><p>Alec Lightwood was at Ground Zero. He was in the middle of the outbreak and he was one of the lucky ones -or extremely unlucky ones- to be immune to the strange illness that took over his hometown and then the rest of the world. Alec had seen all the movies and read all the graphic novels. He knew there was no hope but he didn't say a word. With two younger siblings and five best friends to protect, there was no place for doubt. No place for fear. No place for devastation. </p><p>But how does one fight off all those thoughts when every single person you've ever loved is bound to die?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"We have to do something! We have to warn them!" The anguished cry came from the other end of the table.

A man, sat at the top of the table, with obvious power and wealth, glanced up. the action was slow and full of a certain type of dangerous pride that it made ever other powerful men and woman around the table flinch. Every single one of them but the humble scientist who had fought her way in to challenge the head of the T.M.I Project. She'd been involved and her creation was one of pure evil, but she had never intended for it to be released by some stupid member of the military over a petty disagreement.

"I beg your pardon?" The powerful leader spoke with a cool yet threatening tone.

"You heard me. You have to warn people. Evacuate them. They're all going to die!" Security flooded around the humble scientist, everyone averting their eyes as she was dragged away. She kicked and screamed but that didn't stop the men holding her.

"That, my dear, was the plan." The powerful leader sat back in his chair and chuckled, un-phased by the humble scientist's screams.

"You monster! You foul, unfeeling, pig!" She spat as she was shoved out of the door. As the doors swung shut, a gunshot could be heard. The humble scientist was suddenly silent and still nobody moved.

"Now we wait." The powerful leader turned his attention to the large screens on the wall, all showing Ground Zero. The place of first touchdown.

They all watched as a mother and a father made their way home, unaware that they would be the first to become an undead being.

"Robert and Maryse Lightwood. I do hope you have a lot of family to infect," the powerful leader mumbled as he grabbed his glass of whiskey, sipping it with ease.


	2. Oh, Hey

Alec jumped as he heard the door close downstairs. It was a ridiculous reaction because he instantly knew it was his parents, but that didn’t stop it from happening every damn time. They always got home so late. He was never expecting the familiar sound because it always happened at various times.

He got up off his bed, making his way out to the hallway. Izzy, his younger sister by two years, still had her light on. Alec made his way to her room, giving his usual two knocks to let her know it was him before pushing the door open. She was on the phone but paused to give him a questioning look.

“Mom and dad are home,” Alec mumbled, reaching up to turn off her light. He didn’t catch her grateful nod but knew she’d offered him one. If either Robert or Maryse knew she was up this late they’d flip.

The eldest Lightwood poked his head around his little brother’s bedroom door. Max was the youngest. Alec had been around the age of nine when he was born, Izzy had been seven. They both remembered the first time they met their baby brother. Both of them had fallen in love with him in an instant. He was tiny and his eyes held the exact same life and joy that Izzy’s did. Alec had felt a strong need to protect the youngest of the three of them. Even now, with Max being ten, he still had that rush of protectiveness any time something happened to Max.

The kid was asleep. Alec was pleased with that. Max was a nightmare to get to bed but somehow he always managed. Even his mother had trouble with getting the mischievous ten-year-old to settle down, Izzy only made things worse and Robert didn’t even try.

“Alec?” He heard his name, before he registered his mom and dad stood behind him.

He spun around, closing the door. His parents were watching him with a gentle curiosity but they didn’t question him on what he’d been doing. They both looked exhausted and a little pale.

“We’re going to bed; do you need anything before we do?” Robert asked, arm around Maryse’s waist.

“No thanks. I’m good.” Alec smiled a little, shoving his hands into the pockets on his hoody. “Are you feeling alright? You both look worn out.”

Maryse offered him a small smile in return, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. She felt warm, worryingly warm. “We’re fine, Alec. Don’t forget to get some sleep.” She rubbed his arm before making her way to her bedroom.

Robert patted Alec’s shoulder before following his wife. He was a man of little words and even littler displays of affection but Alec didn’t mind. He cared about his parents and they cared about him. Having a pat on the shoulder instead of a hug wasn’t the end of the world.

The door to his parent’s room closed with a soft click as he wandered back up the hallway to his own bedroom. He was feeling rather tired after a long night of taking care of his younger siblings and doing schoolwork on top of that. Sometimes he really wished he could take a break but his family meant the world to him. He could manage taking care of them, even if he neglected himself most of the time.

As Alec got into bed, he found himself thinking back to his mother’s temperature. She felt feverish, and his dad hadn’t looked much better. His tired mind offered no reasons for why they both looked so ill so he decided to drop it. There wasn’t much he could do if they were sick. It wasn’t as if they were dying. It was probably just something they picked up from someone at work. Alec leant over and turned his desk light off, settling down and closing his eyes. He drifted off within minutes.

02:50

~~~~+~~~~

03:10

Alec’s eyes snapped open and for a moment he had no idea why. He’d been dreaming about some random TV star and then suddenly he was awake. It made no sense until he glanced over at his door. He never shut it fully, always preferring to let in a little light from the hallway penetrate the darkness of his room, but it was open fully. Stood in the doorway was the silhouette of his mother. He knew it was her but she was stood strangely, her body slumped forward slightly and her breathing erratic.

“Mom?” Alec asked, swallowing the lump in his throat as he sat up in his bed. Something about the whole situation didn’t feel right.

She didn’t respond. Alec couldn’t see her face so he had no way of knowing what the hell was going on. He reached over to his desk lamp, hands shaking and palms sweating, turning on the light. It was blinding for a moment but he got used to the sudden glow quickly, eyes refocusing on his mother. For a moment he stared in shock but his frozen posture was broken as she began to move.

Maryse didn’t look right at all. She looked sick. She looked dead. Her skin was unusually pale, her lips blue. The veins that should have been invisible under her skin were seemingly pushing against the inside of her face, dark blues and purples that bulged across her cheeks and forehead. Her eyes were the thing that disturbed Alec the most. They still had their usual brown but they seemed clouded and cold, almost like the eyes of a shark. He pupils were dilated and there was an off grey tint to the whites.

“Mom?” Alec asked again. His mind was screaming for him to get up and run but his body wasn’t responding. He was rooted to the spot. It was his mother after all, he’d never had reason to be scared of her before and she looked sick. He couldn’t run because she looked off.

 _She doesn’t just look off_ , his own mind remarked almost sarcastically. _She looks dead_.

_Dead._

There was a crash from the hallway, a door being forced open. Isabelle’s scream followed the noise. Alec’s stomach lurched, the sound forcing him out of bed. The sudden movement got Maryse moving faster towards him, her arms outstretched. A black liquid was oozing from her mouth as she opened it to let out a bloodcurdling screech. Alec almost tripped as he ducked past his mother. Instinct took over and he was running to his door, reaching the hallway before turning around to pull his door shut. It bought him a few moments.

Izzy screamed again and Alec was instantly scrambling towards her room. He found her against the bedroom wall, arms trembling as she held Robert as far away as possible. He was snarling at her, lips stained with the same black liquid his mother’s had been. Robert looked just like his wife. He looked dead.

His head turned to Alec as he entered the room. Izzy took the momentary distraction to shove him backwards. He only stumbled a little but it gave her long enough to run to her older brother. Alec grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room, closing the door as Robert charged. He felt the door give a violent shudder but it didn’t break. They had a few seconds.

Alec pushed Izzy towards the stairs, not giving her a second to protest. She seemed to take the hint, trusting her brother as she ran down the stairs. Both the doors to his and Izzy’s rooms were shaking in their frames as Alec’s parents attempted to break them down. Why they weren’t just using the handles wasn’t something Alec had time to dwell on. Max came out of his bedroom, tired and scared. The noises had woken him up and he’d come out to investigate.

“Alec, what’s going on?” He asked, rubbing at his eye as he peered up at his big brother. Alec didn’t know how to reply and he didn’t want to frighten the poor kid but that was inevitable in their current dilemma.

Max gave a little cry of surprise as Alec scooped him up into his arms, rushing down the stairs. He heard a door burst open. Another scream told him that it had been the door to his room. Max yelled for his mother but Alec kept moving, holding onto the struggling child a little tighter.

Izzy was stood in the kitchen, a knife in her hands, as Alec entered and closed the door. He put Max down, dragging the table over to the door, tipping it onto its side to wedge it under the handle.

“What the fuck is going on, Alec?” Izzy demanded, her voice trembling as much as her body.

“I don’t know…” Alec kept his hands against the table as he felt the door give a little jolt. His mother had reached it and was trying to get through. Now, of course, Alec did have some sort of clue as to what was going on, but the logical part of his brain told him that his answer to the whole ordeal was stupid.

“Seriously, Alec!” Izzy yelled, the sound more of a sob than an angry shout. “Why did dad just try and rip my throat out with his teeth?”

Alec looked back at her before looking down at Max. Max was looking at him with wide, shining eyes. They were both terrified and looking to him for answers but he had nothing logical to give them.

“I think-“ Alec was cut off by a loud and very angry scream from the other side of the door. The force of the next jolt made the table screech against the floor and he had to press all his weight against it to keep it from slipping away and letting the door open. He took a deep breath when he felt the table secure itself under the handle once again.

“I think we’re dealing with zombies.”

Izzy stared at him in disbelief. The disbelief turned into anger in a split second.

“This isn’t a joke, Alec.” She said, tone dangerously low.

“I wasn’t joking, Isabelle.” Alec replied, imitating her tone. “How else would you explain our parents trying to eat us?”

Izzy opened her mouth to reply but suddenly closed it. She had nothing to counter Alec’s argument and that obviously scared her. Seeing his older sister look so horrified made Max freak out. He started crying.

Alec looked at his little brother, unsure of how to offer him comfort in a time such as this. It was impossible to think of anything to say that wouldn’t sound forced, fake or fucking ridiculous under the circumstances.

“Hey, don’t do that.” Izzy was a step in front of Alec and he was thankful that he had such a smart sister. She was strong and brave and had managed to swallow down her own fear to offer comfort to the youngest Lightwood. “Come here, Max. It’s okay. Don’t cry.”

Max made his way over to her, sobbing and sniffling as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He was quite small for his age so his head only reached Izzy’s stomach, but he didn’t seem to mind by this point. He clung to his sister as if she were the only stable thing in the universe and it made Alec realise how much he wanted to do the same thing.

“D-did dad really try to- try to eat you?” Max asked through hiccupping breaths.

Izzy shot Alec a glare, to which Alec replied with a shrug, before she was crouching down to hug Max properly.

“No, kiddo, of course not. Alec’s just being dramatic.” She still had the knife in her hand but it was held a little less tightly, pointed away from her little brother.

Alec pulled a face, ignoring the petty jab at him to try and think of a way out. He was stuck holding the door so neither Maryse nor Robert could get in. If he moved away, he risked letting them in. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the bowl on one of the counters that held his, Izzy’s and his parent’s keys but more importantly; it held his dad’s car keys.

“Izzy, keys.” Alec nodded towards the bowl before he looked back at the door to make sure it wasn’t breaking. Two fully grown adults were throwing themselves at it, he was surprised it hadn’t caved in on itself already.

Izzy left Max for a second to grab Robert’s car keys and her own set of keys just in case. She put her own keys in her pocket.

“Right,” Alec swallowed, nodding once she had the keys in her hand. “You’re going to have to open the kitchen door and get both you and Max out. Get Max to the car and watch out for anyone outside. Come back in, grab some food and water and put that in the car before getting in yourself.”

Izzy shook her head, walking over to him and offering her own strength along with Alec’s at a rather troublingly hard jolt of the door. She gave him her best stern look and for a second Alec forgot how to breath, she looked just like their mother when she stared at him like that.

“You are not staying here.” Her voice was as stern as her gaze.

“I know. As soon as you’re in the car, I’ll make a run for it.” He saw that Izzy was going to protest but schooled his expression into his very barely used ‘I’m the oldest and therefore in charge’ expression. “Don’t argue. Just do. Go.”

She hesitated before moving away from the door with an annoyed sound. Izzy grabbed Max’s hand, pulling him towards the door. He didn’t protest but he did look back at his big brother. Alec gave him a reassuring smile, even though he was frightened, the door banging against the table again which forced it back into Alec's stomach. He lurched forward slightly, winded, his hair falling over his forehead and into his eyes. The fear was forgotten for a moment as he tried to breath but it soon came back. There was every possibility that something could go terribly wrong and Alec could become food for his recently deceased parents. 

He was going for the option and explanation of zombies as the real cause of all this drama. It was the only one that made sense.

Izzy did as Alec asked, opening the kitchen door and hurrying Max to the car. She put him in and locked it before coming back to grab as much food as she could before carrying that back to the car. Alec was amazed with how much Izzy had managed to grab and was about to move away from the door when she came back in and grabbed a whole crate of bottled water from the refrigerator. They always kept a lot of the stuff around and usually it took up too much space but now Alec was grateful that his parents were obsessed with clean rehydration. She scooped up some more food and put in on top of the bottles before looking over at Alec. His sister nodded at him before rushing back out to the car.

Alec held his breath, waiting to hear the slam of her door closing. Suddenly, the realisation of moving hit him and he froze again. Wat if he couldn’t get to the car in time? Would Izzy leave if he didn’t? He hoped she would.

He shook his head, taking a long look at the kitchen as the door continued to shake and shudder. Another realisation hit him. If this was an apocalypse, like he suspected, then this would be the last time he’d look at his kitchen. The thought made the familiar burn of tears form in his eyes. Maryse screeched again and the sound made the tears Alec was holding back slip down his cheeks.

“Stop, mom! Please…” He leant against the table, placing his hand over the door where he’d felt the last hit come from. That’s where his mother was. Just out of reach but lost to him. Gone forever. He took in a shuddering breath before he pushed himself away from the table and ran.

He bolted out of the door, taking a second to pull it shut and listen to it lock itself, before quickly making his way to the car. He got in and took the keys from his sister. His dad had taught him how to drive in hopes of one day leaving Alec his car. It seemed that day had come far too soon.

He started up the engine, both his younger siblings sat in the back, holding onto each other tightly. He didn’t know where he was going to go or what he was going to do but he decided not to dwell on that too much.

He reversed out of the driveway and into the chaos of a once quiet street, figures that had once been his neighbours wandering around and snarling at each other like wild animals.

He had been right. A pat on the shoulder instead of a hug hadn’t been the end of the world.

This was the true end of all things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an odd obsession with the song Lifeline by Kenny Holland so all the chapters are going to be loosely named with lyrics from the song. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a comment telling me what you think/hope will happen next or what you feel I should do. Any comment is welcome, I love reading your feedback! 
> 
> Next chapter will be coming soon! Thank you for reading so far <3


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